Abstract
Mimicking the biological olfaction, large odor-sensor arrays can be used to acquire a broad range of chemical information, with a potentially high degree of redundancy, to allow for enhanced control over the sensitivity and selectivity of artificial olfaction systems. The arrays should consist of the largest possible number of individual sensing elements while being miniaturized. Chemosensitive resistors are one of the sensing platforms that have a potential to satisfy these two conditions. In this work we test viability of fabricating a 16-element chemosensitive resistor array for detection and recognition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sensors were fabricated using blends of carbon black and gas chromatography (GC) stationary-phase materials preselected based on their sorption properties. Blends of the selected GC materials with carbon black particles were subsequently coated over chemosensitive resistor devices and the resulting sensors/arrays evaluated in exposure experiments against vapors of pyrrole, benzenal, nonanal, and 2-phenethylamine at 150, 300, 450, and 900 ppb. Responses of the fabricated 16-element array were stable and differed for each individual odorant sample, proving the blends of GC materials with carbon black particles can be effectively used for fabrication of large odor-sensing arrays based on chemosensitive resistors. The obtained results suggest that the proposed sensing devices could be effective in discriminating odor/vapor samples at the sub-ppm level.
Highlights
Airborne chemicals carry an enormous amount of information about both narrowly and broadly defined environments
We present our basic study on selection and application of gas chromatography (GC) stationary phase materials as the sorptive part in odor-sensing composites used in chemosensitive resistor-based odor sensors
The paper presented a basic study on selection and application of GC stationary phase materials as the sorptive part in odor-sensing composites used in chemosensitive resistor-based odor sensors
Summary
Airborne chemicals carry an enormous amount of information about both narrowly and broadly defined environments. Biological olfaction has been widely applied in various fields for either expert or non-expert evaluations, using techniques of sensory analysis [2], often combined with instrumental analytical methods such as spectroscopy or chromatography [3]. Both sensory and instrumental analyses can be quite impractical due to their costs and time and space limitations as well as their lack of mobility. Artificial olfaction instruments—electronic noses—emerge as an attractive alternative to sensory and instrumental analyses as they can overcome most or all of the downsides listed above [4,5]
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